San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
No shortage of riveting places to take kids
The Bay Area is a fantastic place to be a kid, especially in the summer, when there’s time to appreciate the hundreds of cool places and events that feed funloving and inquisitive minds. Most big cities have been improving park infrastructure in recent years — the Oakland Zoo has expanded, and reliable destinations such as Children’s Fairyland and the Exploratorium keep getting better — allowing families more options. That also makes it harder to choose where to spend your time and money. For this list, The Chronicle is focusing on some of the region’s best educational parks, museums and events, and one very underappreciated amusement park that’s outside the Bay Area but an easy drive.
— Peter Hartlaub
BERKELEY KITE FESTIVAL
This long-running free festival combines kites enormous and small in one huge park, turning the sky into a colorful dancing wonderland. Parking can be tough, but free shuttles run from Golden Gate Fields. required for entry, but the park has periodic Fairyland for Grownups events at night.
GILROY GARDENS
If you have children, don’t discover this just-outside-the-Bay Area gem too late. Gilroy Gardens is a lushly landscaped park with rides aimed at kids. It has a very chill vibe, with a lot of young children, parents who are grateful for the shade and older customers who like the horticulture (Gilroy Gardens has its “circus trees,” and was originally planned as a tree-themed park). three working carousels that date back 100 years, at the San Francisco Zoo, in Golden Gate Park and in Yerba Buena Gardens. But Berkeley and Los Gatos may have the best train/carousel pairings, in Tilden Regional Park and Oak Meadow Park. Here are some of The Chronicle’s favorite familyfriendly rides in the Bay Area.
One of our favorite railroads in the Bay Area is also one of the longest rides, winding through the park. A dedicated crew of old-timers (and a few young fans) maintain the steam trains and educate customers waiting in line. Nearby is also this small but lovely carousel. Its shop, where carousel animals are maintained, has a window so the public can interact with the carpenters and artists.
GOLDEN GATE PARK CAROUSEL
This restored 1914 carousel with 62 eclectic animals entertained at the 1939 World’s Fair in San Francisco, and continues to thrill. The city may not be known for its deals, but the carousel’s prices — $2 for adults, $1 for children ages 6-12 and free for children 5 and younger — is an exception.
TILDEN PARK MERRY GO ROUND
In the center of Tilden Park, this is one of three excellent stops for children, including the train and Tilden Park Little Farm. Check the website for summer hours. Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicle's pop culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub